Vehicle burglaries, drunk driving offenses and bouts of violence marred an otherwise beautiful Labor Day weekend as the temperatures were near perfect for holiday outings at the lake or picnics at the park.

Darren Kawamoto, 44, a registered sex offender, was recently sentenced to 36 years to life in prison. He had previously been found guilty of six counts of criminal threats and five enhancements of personally using a deadly weapon while committing those crimes. Kawamoto had previously been convicted of five prior serious felony convictions with two prior prison commitments.

It's a bad habit and against the law - cell phone use while driving -†and local law enforcement officials are cracking down in the form of citations.

Since the law went into effect last July, Oakdale City Police officers gave out 808 citations to adults and juveniles, with an average of 67 per month or two per day.

"The numbers have gone down in the last few weeks but I don't think that's a trend or anything," Traffic Officer Ben Savage said of the decline, saying there are some out there, particularly tourists, who aren't even aware ...

Willis W. Farmer, 31, of Oakdale, was sentenced to state prison for a total of five years after pleading no contest to a residential burglary and also admitting a prior conviction in San Joaquin County.

The case arose out of events that occurred on March 26, in Oakdale. Defendant Farmer confronted an acquaintance about a perceived slight and disrespect towards Farmer. As a result, defendant Farmer told the victim that he was going to take something of value from him and entered the victim's home without permission. Farmer had the victim, against his will, assist in carrying the victim ...

The names and incidents printed in the Lockdown are obtained from the daily log of the Oakdale Police Department, which is a public document. The listing of a name here does not imply that person's guilt or innocence. That can only be determined by a court of law.

Three years after his murder, a $50,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the stabbing death of Joseph 'Joey' Ross.

Darren Kawamoto, 44, a registered sex offender, was found guilty of six counts of criminal threats and five enhancements of personally using a deadly weapon while committing those crimes by a jury on May 14. A court trial also found true that Kawamoto had previously been convicted of five prior serious felony convictions, and had two prior prison commitments.